Working dog travels 700 miles home after stint in the St. George Animal Shelter

Hank, the working dog, was brought to the St. George Animal Shelter after being found in Oregon. The woman who dropped Hank off at the St. George Animal Shelter said he was found locally, but he was actually about 700 miles from home.

Hank, the working dog, was brought to the St. George Animal Shelter after being found in Oregon. The woman who dropped Hank off at the St. George Animal Shelter said he was found locally, but he was actually about 700 miles from home. (St. George Animal Shelter)


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ST. GEORGE — The woman who dropped Hank off at the St. George Animal Shelter said he was found locally, but workers there soon learned he was actually about 700 miles from home.

"He was a working dog," Animal Services Officer Supervisor Cathy Freitas told St. George News. The 12-year-old McNab mix was found on a ranch in Oregon where he'd been working and then driven to St. George by a woman who lied and said she found the dog in the local area, Freitas said.

"That dog was absolutely well cared for and happy," she continued. "And the person who saw it assumed otherwise and thought rather than going to the authorities and saying, 'I found a dog,' she intentionally drove the dog away from that area because she didn't want it to go back to the owner thinking that it wasn't well taken care of because it was outside. … Not every dog is going to be happy lying on your couch and eating snacks."

The shelter posted a photo of Hank on social media and "it just hit the right people." Someone in Idaho recognized him, Freitas said, adding that from there, they connected the dots.

Read the entire story at St. George News.

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